What Happened to Us
by hntret12
Summary: 3 years ago had been the happiest day of there lives. They were married in front of all their friends and family and promised to support each other no matter what. Now they sat there wondering how that all changed and what had happened to get to this point.
1. Chapter 1

3 years ago had been the happiest day of their lives. They were married in front of all their friends and family and promised to support each other no matter what. They kept that promise in the beginning. Both of them had difficult and stressful lives to say the least. Kara had become a reporter and had fully taken on the role of Supergirl. She split her time between Catco and the DEO and at the end of the day came home to her wife that she loved more than anything. Lena was already very busy as the CEO of L-Corp and right before they had gotten married, she had also bought Catco. She split her time between the two corporations and even though she was busier than ever she put all her work away once she got home to focus on Kara. They were both on top of the world in their professional lives, but they always made time for each other.

The first two years of their marriage went by without a hitch, but something had shifted in the last year. They both started working longer hours at work and spending less time at home with each other. They slowly started growing apart and didn't feel the same need they used to feel to always be together. At first, they both thought it was a good thing. They thought they had passed the honeymoon phase and now just didn't need to be together 24/7. They saw each other at Catco when Lena was working there but both of them agreed they would still make time for each other at home. After a few months of this they both started to feel the disconnect. They started resenting the other one for choices that were made. Their communication got worse and there were many nights where they wouldn't even see one another. Kara would come home, and Lena would already be in bed asleep or Lena would come home, and Kara would be out on Supergirl duty. There was no big event that caused this divide. It was simply two people who were growing apart and putting most of their focus into their professional lives. Suddenly they had come to a point where even on nights they were both home, were filled with silence. They both would do their own activities or bring home work and sit in silence working on it. Neither of them even realized how bad it had become until the night Kara had gotten hurt.

Kara had seen Lena at Catco earlier in the day and left early for the day as she was called out to the DEO. She had been helping Alex and Maggie with a case involving an alien when it happened. The situation seemed relatively straight forward. There was an alien in the center of the city who had been linked to a variety of crimes. Maggie and Alex had been tracking the alien down for a few weeks when they had finally found a location. They called Kara to come for backup and weren't expecting it to be too hard of a capture. Alex had brought along a small team of DEO agents just in case. They arrived at the location and saw that there was another alien there as well. Supergirl was busy taking on the one alien while Maggie, Alex and the team of DEO agents handled the second one. Supergirl had the alien pinned when suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She looked down to see that the alien had a defense mechanism that caused spikes to come out of its arms and one of them had hit her. She was in pain but managed to get it down before Alex came over to handcuff it. They had gotten both of them and transported them back to the DEO and even though Kara insisted she was fine Alex had made her come back to get checked over.

The spike had a chemical in it that caused Kara's body to heal slower, so Alex had to use stitches to close up the wound on her abdomen. It wasn't too bad but it was causing Kara some discomfort and would for a few days. Kara finished getting stitched up and had Alex drive her back to her and Lena's apartment. She figured Lena would already be asleep but was surprised when she saw her sitting on the couch reading. Lena set her book down when Kara walked and turned towards her.

"Hey, I didn't know what time you would be home tonight," Lena said as she looked at Kara.

"Yeah I had to help Alex at the DEO with something," Kara said as she tried to reach up to get a mug for tea and was hit with the pain from her incision. She yelped in pain and grabbed the counter for a second.

"What's wrong?" Lena asked as she quickly got off the couch to go over to Kara.

"Oh, it's nothing. I got stabbed when I was helping out Alex capture an alien but it's spike caused me to heal slower, so I had to get some stitches put in," Kara said as Lena's face turn to shock.

"Why didn't you let me know," Lena said as she looked to her wife.

"I don't know. I probably was going to tell you at some point, but it really isn't that bad," Kara said as she went to put her stuff down by the couch.

"Kara it doesn't matter that it wasn't bad. We used to tell each other everything. There was a time when you would text me as soon as something happened and let me know that you were fine. It's not just this Kara, it's everything. We don't talk, I feel like I don't even know who you are anymore. I mean what happened to us Kara?" Lena said as she looked into her wife's eyes and Kara stood in silence, not knowing how to answer that question.


	2. Chapter 2

Flashback (2 Years Ago)

"Where is she?" Lena asked as she ran into the DEO. She had gotten a text from Kara saying that she had been hurt in a fight but hadn't been able to get into contact with her since then. Lena left L-Corp and immediately drove to the DEO to check on her wife who she was worried about.

"Lena she is fine, she is in the med bay under the sunlamps. She just got a little banged up after a fight she had with an alien we were tracking. You can go in and see her if you want," Alex said as Lena thanked her and went in to see Kara.

"Kara, I was so worried when I got your text and then couldn't get a hold of you," Lena said as Kara shut off the sunlamp and sat up in bed grunting softly. Lena came over to her side and kissed her on the lips before sitting down in a chair next to the bed.

"I'm sorry about that. I sent you that text and then Alex took my phone and forgot to give it back to me. I didn't mean to worry you or make you leave work," Kara said as she held her wife's hand.

"It's fine. I wasn't that busy at work anyways today and I am always going to come when you get hurt to make sure you are okay. Speaking of which, how are you feeling babe?," Lena asked as she pushed Kara's hair behind her ear.

"I'm okay. I am just a little sore but nothing a little sunlight can't fix. Do you have to get back to work?" Kara asked as she looked into her wife's eyes.

"No, I was getting ready to leave for the day anyway. Why don't we see if you can get out of here and we can enjoy the last few hours of sunlight outside," Lena said as Kara nodded her head and after the two talked to Alex and Kara was cleared to go, they spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the city.

Present Day

Kara and Lena sat at the kitchen table silently looking at each other. Kara had finished making her cup of tea and neither of them knew what to say. When Lena had asked Kara, what had happened to them, Kara froze. She really didn't know where it had gone so wrong. The only thing that Kara knew was that Lena was right. The two had barely talked to each other besides when they were both working at Catco and most of that involved something to do with work. Kara honestly didn't know why she hadn't let Lena know that she had gotten injured. She used to always text or call her to let her know what had happened but when she got hurt earlier today it didn't even cross her mind to contact Lena.

"Lena I should have told you that I got hurt earlier, I'm sorry," Kara said as she looked down suddenly feeling nervous.

"I know you are. I just don't know when everything changed. I mean there was a time when the two of us would tell each everything and I can't even remember the last time we had a meaningful conversation. Can you?" Lena asked as she looked at her wife who was looking back up at her.

"I don't know. Your right though, it has been awhile. Something has just been off for a while and I think both of us just ignored it but obviously we can't keep doing that. I honestly don't know how we fix this though. I mean maybe I should just go stay with Alex and Maggie for a little bit," Kara said as Lena's expression changed.

"How would that fix anything Kara? The problem is that we aren't talking, and your solution is to make it, so we won't even see each other," Lena said almost yelling at this point.

"I mean what is your solution? Do you have a better idea because if you do, I would love to hear it? I mean this is the most we have talked in a long time and all we are doing is yelling at one another," Kara said as she stood up from the table.

"I am just asking why your first instinct it to run away," Lena said as she stood at the other end of the table.

"I am not running away I am just saying that maybe we both need a break," Kara said as her voiced raised again.

"Look Kara if that is your answer than maybe you should go stay with Alex," Lena said as she walked towards the bedroom and slammed the door. Kara went out to the balcony and took off into the skies. She needed to clear her head and flying always seemed to do that for her. She flew for 20 minutes before she landed on Alex's balcony. It was pitch black out at this point, so she wasn't worried about anyone seeing her go there as Supergirl. She knocked on the balcony door and the door opened shortly after. Alex saw her sister's face and quickly let her in as Maggie came over from the kitchen.

"Kara are you okay?" Alex asked even though she knew the girl wasn't.

"I'm fine. Can I stay here tonight?" Kara asked as Maggie and Alex both nodded their heads.

"Of course Little Danvers, but why aren't you staying at your apartment?" Maggie asked as Kara headed into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water.

"I don't really want to talk about it right now, but I am going to go take a shower," Kara said as she headed towards the bathroom and closed the door. Alex waited for the water to turn on until she turned towards her wife.

"What the hell is going on?" Alex asked as Maggie shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't really know. I mean when was the last time that you actually saw Lena at a sister's night at our place?" Maggie asked.

"Huh, I guess I don't know. It's has probably been a few months, but Kara just always said that Lena has been slammed with work," Alex said. She was going to say something else when she heard the water turn off and changed the subject before Kara could hear them. Kara came out a minute later wearing a pair of Alex's pajamas. Both Alex and Maggie noticed that Kara had tears coming down her eyes.

"Kara, seriously what is happening?" Alex asked as she put her arms around her sister who was now crying harder.

"I don't know but I think my marriage might be ending," Kara said as she lost her composure and collapsed into Alex's arm. Alex held her up and got her over to the couch. Maggie got a blanket and put it around the two as she sat down and tried to help comfort Kara as much as she could. Kara fell asleep a little while later as Alex made sure she was asleep before she turned to her wife.

"I don't know why we didn't put the pieces together sooner. I mean I am her sister and I should have known," Alex said suddenly feeling guilty.

"Babe, we have all been really busy. Don't blame yourself for not knowing. To be honest I don't even know if Kara knew that something was wrong. Look if you don't need help with Kara, I think I need to go check on Lena," Maggie said as Alex nodded her head and Maggie kissed her wife before heading out the door.

If Kara was in this bad of shape, Maggie knew that Lena would need someone as well to be there for her. She got in her car and made the quick drive to their apartment. She parked and got up to the door and knocked a few times before she heard footsteps. The door opened, and Maggie's heart broke at the sight in front of her. Lena was wrapped up in a blanket and Maggie could tell she had been crying. As soon as Maggie came into the apartment, Lena started to cry again, and Maggie just held her until the crying had slowed down. She guided Lena over to the couch and the two sat down facing each other.

"Lena what happened tonight?" Maggie asked as she put her hand on the girl's leg trying to comfort her.

"We fought. She got hurt and didn't even let me know and then I just started to realize that we haven't been okay for the past couple months. We don't talk, we don't make each other laugh, and I think we have both been miserable without even really realizing it. Maggie, I don't know if this can be fixed," Lena said as another round of tears came and Maggie held Lena until she fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Maggie spent the night at Lena and Kara's apartment while Kara spent the night with Alex at her apartment. None of the girls got a good night of sleep and all woke up exhausted the next day. Maggie woke up and after making sure that Lena was okay, she headed back to her and Alex's apartment. She walked in and was greeted by her wife who was making a pot of coffee.

"Hey, how is Lena doing?" Alex asked as she kissed Maggie and sat down at the kitchen table.

"She was a mess Alex. I have never seen her like this before. She was devastated. Where is Kara by the way?" Maggie said not hearing the other girl in the apartment.

"She left a few minutes ago. She said she wanted to fly around for a bit before she went to Catco for the day," Alex responded.

"Alright, how was she after I left?" Maggie asked grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting down next to Alex.

"She was falling asleep but we both woke up early and she didn't really talk much. I think her head is in a bad space with everything going on, but she said she would talk to me later today and then left to clear her head," Alex said as she felt Maggie grab her hand. "I mean I don't know what to do. Kara usually will at least open up to me a little bit so for her to barely say anything is really concerning me," Alex said as she looked over to her wife.

"I know it is hard but maybe neither of them really knows what to say. I mean we don't really know the situation but like we said last night, neither of us have seen Lena at a sister's night in at least 2 months. I feel bad for not noticing something was wrong sooner but both of us have been so busy that I just kind of let it slip through the cracks," Maggie said.

"I know I feel like I should have noticed as well. I guess I will see what I can get out of Kara later at the DEO and I will let you know what I find out," Alex said as the two got up and started to get ready to go into work.

0000

It was barely 11am and Kara had already been having a horrible day. She barely slept last night after her fight with Lena and spent the morning dealing with one problem after the other at work. A few of the problems couldn't be resolved without checking in with Lena first since she was the CEO. Lena was working at L-Corp today and the office phones there weren't working. Lena's cell phone also couldn't be reached so Kara was sent over to L-Corp to have Lena sign some papers and get into contact with her. Kara was hoping she could avoid Lena today, but her job came before any personal issues, so she reluctantly began to head over to Lena's office. She decided to walk since it wasn't that far, and she wanted some time to herself. She made the short walk there and headed up to Lena's floor where she was greeted by her secretary. Kara found out the reason Lena couldn't be reached was because she was in the basement of the building working with the research and development team and had accidently left her cell phone in her desk. Since all the phones were down at L-Corp it was difficult for anyone to communicate with each other. Kara headed downstairs to find Lena and got to the lab a few minutes later. Lena was in the lab with two other employees and when she saw Kara outside, she held up her finger and come out a minute later.

"Hey is everything okay?" Lena asked as she come out into the hallway and closed the door behind her.

"Yeah we just couldn't reach you and there are some things you need to sign off on and approve for Catco, so I was set over here," Kara said as Lena nodded her head.

"Oh of course. I should have brought my cellphone down with me, sorry you had to come all the way here," Lena said feeling suddenly uncomfortable around her wife.

"It's okay," Kara responded as she handed Lena the files and waited for her to sign off on them.

"Are you going to be home tonight?" Lena asked as she finished signing the files and handed them back to her wife.

"I have to go to the DEO after I get done at Catco and I am not sure when I will be done for the night," Kara said not wanting to start another fight with her wife.

"Alright well just be safe please," Lena said before she headed back into the lab and Kara headed back to Catco.

FLASH BACK (4 YEARS AGO)

"Ms. Luthor, Kara Danvers is here to see you," Lena heard her assistant say before the door opened and her girlfriend came through holding a bag of food. The two had been together for close to a year and almost every Friday Kara would come to L-Corp to have lunch with Lena. Kara smiled as she came in and kissed Lena on the lips before the two went over to the couch to eat.

"Hey babe, how has your day been going?" Lena asked as she sat down next to her girlfriend.

"It's been pretty busy at Catco but not too bad. I had to slip out for a little bit to help Alex with a situation at the DEO," Kara said as she started pulling food out of the bags.

"I have actually had a pretty slow day here which is nice. I have mostly just been catching up on paperwork and responding to emails," Lena said as the two started eating.

"So, were you still good to go to Maggie and Alex's place for dinner tonight?" Kara asked as she turned towards Lena.

"Of course, I am looking forward to it. What time were we planning on?" Lena asked.

"Alex said 7. I think afterwards we were planning on watching a movie or something so that should be fun," Kara said smiling.

"Works for me," Lena said. She had gotten closer to Maggie and Alex since her and Kara had started dating and enjoyed having them in her life. She had never been close to her family growing up and it was nice to have another chance with Kara's family and friends.

"Alright, well I have to head back to Catco, but I will see you later," Kara said as she cleaned up her food and got up to leave.

"Alright, I love you," Lena said as she kissed Kara on the lips.

"Love you too," Kara said before she turned to head out and go back to work. She loved Fridays because she would meet up with Lena for lunch and then they spent the night with Alex and Maggie. This had been a tradition of theirs for the past couple months and Kara was so glad that Maggie and Alex treated Lena like she was a part of the family. She walked back into Catco excited for their dinner tonight.

PRESENT DAY

Alex had a really slow day at the DEO and spent most of the day in her lab. It was later in the afternoon when she heard a knock on her door and saw Kara on the other side. She waved her in and got up from her desk to go over to the couch. Kara shut the door behind her and joined Alex on the couch.

"How was work today?" Kara asked as she put her bag down on the ground.

"It was really slow actually, so I spent the day doing some research in the lab. How was Catco?" Alex asked.

"It was actually really hectic. There were a lot of issues this morning and then no one could reach Lena at L-Corp, so I got sent over there to have her sign some paperwork," Kara said looking down at the ground.

"How did that go?" Alex asked as she looked over at her sister.

"It was fine. It was sort of weird and tense, but I was only there for a few minutes," Kara said looking back up at Alex.

"Kara what is happening with you two?" Alex asked as she scooted closer to Kara.

"I don't know Alex. We were really happy for a while. After we got married everything was really good and even though we were really busy we both still made time for each other. I don't know what changed but in the past couple months we haven't made time for each other. We both got so caught up in our work and just stopped talking. When we were both home our conversations were short and almost nonexistent. We haven't had a meaningful conversation in a long time. I don't know what happened, but I don't even know her anymore. I mean how could things have gone so downhill so quickly," Kara said as she was closed to tears.

"Kara, every relationship goes through some rough patches. I mean Maggie and I have certainly had times when we have been disconnected. It is hard to keep a relationship going but I know how much you both love and care about one another," Alex said as she put her hand on Kara's leg.

"I love Lena and always will, but I don't know how to fix this. I mean Alex what if we can't fix this," Kara said as tears started falling from her eyes.

"Have you considered going to talk to someone? I mean this is probably something that the two of you are going to need help with," Alex said as she wrapped her hands around Kara.

"It's not exactly like we can go and find a therapist online. Supergirl is part of me and if I have to keep that a secret during therapy I don't know if I will be able to get everything out of it that both of us should. Plus, I don't even know if Lena would be open for it. I mean neither of us is exactly the most open book and talking about our feelings isn't something we do with other people especially not strangers," Kara said as she cuddled against Alex's side.

"Look I have an old friend that might be able to help the two of you out. I would trust her with my life, but I have to check in with J'onn to see if I can get her cleared or not. I think you need to talk to Lena and see if she would be willing to do it. It doesn't hurt to just ask. I know you two don't like talking about your feelings but if you don't, nothing is going to change. If you want to save your marriage you need to put in the work and at least try. Look go home to your wife and talk to her. I will talk to J'onn and see what I can do," Alex said as she held her sister for another minute before they both got up and went home to their wives.

Lena walked in her apartment and saw Kara cuddled up on the couch. After this morning she wasn't sure if she would see Kara or not tonight. Kara sat up when she heard the door shut and looked over to Lena who was setting her stuff down.

"Hey, do you think you could come over here for a few minutes, so we can talk? I don't want to fight but I need to ask you something," Kara said as Lena nodded her head and sat down on the couch across from Kara.

"Look Kara I just wanted to say first that I am sorry for getting mad at you last night. I just was upset that you were leaving but it wasn't fair of me to get mad at you for it," Lena said as looked into Kara's eyes.

"No look Lena you weren't wrong to get mad. I should have stayed so we could have talked but I just got scared and didn't know what to do. Look I was talking to Alex earlier and she told me that she has a friend who might be able to help us if we are willing to go to therapy together. It is someone Alex trusts, so I would be able to be honest about who I am but only if you are willing to go. I don't want to pressure you into it so if you don't want to go let me know," Kara said as Lena took all of this information in.

"I'm scared too Kara. I'm scared of who we have become and what has happened to our relationship. Look going to therapy scares the hell out of me, but I think I am more scared of what will happen to us if we don't go. So yes, I would be willing to go for us," Lena said as Kara smiled slightly. Lena realized it was the first time she had seen Kara smile in a while and missed the sight of her wife happy.

"Thank you Lena. I know that it is hard for you to open up, but it means a lot to me that you are willing to try," Kara said as she smiled again at her wife.

"Of course. I know it's not easy for you as well, but I am never going to give up on us," Lena said as she got closer to Kara on the couch.

"Do you want to watch tv or something?" Kara said, and Lena nodded her head as the two sat and watched for the next couple hours. They both went to bed that night feeling nervous about what was to come but for the first time in a while they both felt some hope for where their relationship was going.


	4. Chapter 4

Alex had met Sara Brunson in college. They had many classes together over the years and had stayed in touch after college. Sara ended up becoming a therapist and mainly dealt with couples but also specialized with individuals who had dealt with trauma and grief. Alex had spent the next day after Kara and her talked looking into Sara and found nothing concerning in her file. Alex knew she could trust Sara with her life and because of that she trusted her with Kara's real identity. The next morning, she woke up and pulled out her phone to place a call to Sara. Alex knew that Sara had just recently moved to the city but the two hadn't had a chance to meet up yet.

"Hey Sara, this is Alex. I had a question for you," Alex said as she sat down in her office at the DEO. She had talked to J'onn and he had approved to bring Sara here and pay her if she agreed to come in and help.

"Hey Alex, it's been awhile! We need to get together soon and grab lunch, but what is it that you wanted to ask me?" Sara replied.

"So, I have sort of favor to ask of you, but I was wondering what your schedule was like in terms of work right now?" Alex asked as she flipped through her paperwork on her desk.

"I actually am sort of open in my schedule for the next few months. I lightened my client load this year to spend some more time with my family," Sara responded.

"Alright well I wanted to see if you had any interest in picking up another client," Alex said.

"Are you and Maggie doing alright?" Sara asked thinking that Alex was talking about herself.

"Yeah we are doing really well. I was actually asking for my sister Kara. Her and her wife Lena are having some issues and I didn't really trust anyone but you to help out. The case needs to be really confidential, but I was wondering if you had some time today to come into my office and talk about it," Alex said as she didn't want to discuss this over the phone.

"Oh yeah, I remember you used to always tell me about your sister. I can come by in about an hour if that works for you," Sara said as she checked her watch.

"Yeah that would work. Look the place I work is pretty high security so when you get here just let them know you are meeting me, and I will come out and get you," Alex said as she finished talking to Sara and hung up her phone. Alex spent the next hour filling out paperwork and was just about to get up when she heard a knock at her door. She saw J'onn standing outside of it with Sara and waved her in. Sara thanked J'onn and walked in hugging Alex before they both sat down on her couch.

"Alright so you said it was a pretty confidential case, is that right?" Sara said as she looked at Alex.

"Yeah so for a couple reasons. First off as you know Kara's wife is Lena Luthor. Obviously, her name carries a lot of weight with who her family is. However, the more pressing matter is that Kara needs to feel like she can be completely honest if her and Lena are going to do therapy. In order to do that I need to tell you something about Kara. So, as you know we adopted her when she was younger, but you don't know the real reason. I told you her parents died in a house fire but that wasn't completely honest. Her parents did die but it was because her whole planet exploded," Alex said as she saw the confusion then understanding appear on Sara's face.

"She's Supergirl isn't she," Sara said as she suddenly understood everything and why Alex had called her in. She had seen pictures of Kara and after Alex had said her planet was destroyed, she made the connection.

"Yes, she is. Obviously, you can see why I was limited in options about who I could ask for help. Sara, I trust you and because of that Kara trusts you as well. I know you wanted more time to spend with your family, but it would mean a lot to me if you would agree to see them," Alex said as she waited for Sara's reaction.

"Alex of course I will meet with them. I wouldn't have gotten through college had it not been for you and you can trust that I will keep her secret. Why don't you give me Kara's number and I will call her later and see if we can set up an appointment," Sara said as she pulled out her phone to give to Alex to enter Kara's number.

"Sara, thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me. It might be better if you do the appointments at their apartment just to keep things under wraps," Alex said as Sara nodded her head.

"Of course, I can do that. I will give Kara a call later and talk to her and hopefully we can set something up this week," Sara said as she talked to Alex for a few more minutes before she headed back to her office.

00000

Kara had spoken to Sara on the phone and had set up their first appointment for Saturday morning. Kara and Lena both got up early so they could get showers and get ready for the day. They heard a knock at their door around 9am and Kara went to answer it. She saw a woman around Alex's age with blonde hair that she recognized from pictures. She stood aside and opened the door more to let Sara in.

"Hey, you must be Sara come on in. I'm Kara and this is my wife Lena," Kara said as she pointed to her wife who was standing in the kitchen. Sara walked in and introduced herself to both women before they moved into the living room. Lena and Kara sat down on the couch as Sara sat in a big chair across from them. Kara and Lena had quite a bit of space between them on the couch as both were nervous and things were still tense between them. Sara pulled out a notepad and a pen and looked back up at the two women across from her.

"Alright so I just want to start out by telling you that everything you say here is between the three of us. I will not tell any of this to anyone including Alex. Also, I want both of you to know that this is a safe place. I want both of you to feel free to share your honest feeling. Even if you are worried you might hurt each other's feelings it is most important that we get everything out in the open. Lastly if there is something that you don't feel comfortable talking about don't feel like you have to. You don't have to answer any questions that you don't want to," Sara finished as both women nodded their heads that they understood everything. "Alright so to start can one of you tell me how long you have been together and how long you have been married for," Sara asked.

"Sure, we have been married for three years and together for about five years," Lena replied as Sara scribbled something down on her notepad.

"Alright and when did the big problems start in your relationship?" Sara asked as she looked back up.

"I would say a few months ago but I am not totally sure," Kara said as she looked at Sara.

"Alright thank you. To start out I just want each of you to write down what you want to get out of this experience. I am going to take both of them from you and we won't talk about them right away but will eventually," Sara said as she handed both of them a piece of paper and gave them a few minutes to write down their answers and then they both handed them back to Sara. She grabbed the papers and put them in her folder. She looked back up and noticed how tense and nervous both women looked sitting on the couch. She saw the distance between them on the couch as well and knew she had a lot of work ahead of her.

"Alright so I don't want to get really in depth today since it is our first session, but I just want to know what was the incident that led you to realizing something was wrong," Sara said as she looked at Lena shifting around on the couch.

"Umm I guess it was a few days ago. Kara had gotten injured as Supergirl and didn't tell me about it at all. That was something that she used to always tell me about right away and I think that night was the first time both of us realized how bad things had gotten and how far we had let things go," Lena said.

"Yeah we got in a fight after that and I ended up leaving during the fight and spent the night with Alex. I mean we have barely been talking during the past couple months and have both been working a lot. Even when we are home though we usually really didn't talk to each other," Kara said as Sara nodded her head.

"Alright so I know both of you have really busy lives which obviously will cause some strain on your relationship, but it sounds like there is a chance that you might have started using work as an excuse as to why you two started drifting apart. Is that possible?" Sara said as she saw Kara look down. They both stayed silent. Alex had told Sara that both women were closed off and she realized at this point how right Alex was. Sensing this was something that both women wanted to avoid talking about for now she decided to move on from that topic.

"Alright so I know that both of you have had difficult lives growing up and I wanted to see if either of you wanted to talk about your past," Sara said not sure how either women would respond.

"No offense but isn't this supposed to be about us as a couple and not about our childhoods," Lena said defensively as she didn't want to get into her past with a woman she had never met.

"It's true that this is about you as a couple but you both have to understand that the two of you as individuals combined is what makes you a couple. You would be surprised about how much a person's childhood can impact their relationships when they grow up. Look I said at the beginning that I wasn't going to force either of you to talk about anything that you didn't want to, but you also need to understand that the only way I can help you is if you both open up and let yourselves be vulnerable. The choice is yours but if you really want this to work, I suggest that you give it a shot and see what happens," Sara said as she watched both women look at her with intensity in their eyes. Kara nodded her head and cleared her throat before she began speaking.

"I guess I can start. I was adopted by the Danvers when I was 13. It was hard at first adjusting to a new world and a new family but over time I started to feel more comfortable with them and more comfortable on this planet. Jeremiah and Eliza treated me like their own daughter and Alex became my sister. I definitely got lucky that Clark put me with them," Kara said before Lena suddenly interrupted her.

"You mean abandoned you with them," Lena said with anger in her voice. She and Clark had gotten along pretty well but she hated that Kara never seemed to understand that Clark just left her with strangers as soon as she arrived onto Earth.

"Alright Lena why don't we let Kara finish talking," Sara said as she made a note to revisit that topic later on. Sara nodded her head for Kara to continue talking.

"Umm, so I guess I felt lucky to have been put with such great people because I know that it could have gone differently had I not ended up with them," Kara said nervously as she finished talking.

"Alright Kara thank you for sharing. Now I am curious why when I asked you to talk about your childhood you went right to when you arrived on Earth and not before that," Sara said as she noticed Kara's body tense up. She also noticed how Lena seemed to be worried for her wife before Kara started speaking.

"Look I know that I need to open up and stuff for this to work but I don't want to talk about Krypton or anything involving that," Kara said with a bit of sadness and anger to her tone. Sara knew enough to not push the girl on their first day, so she backed off. She turned towards Lena who was still looking at her wife before she turned and saw Sara staring at her.

"What do you want me to say. I mean I was adopted by the Luthors, Lex went crazy and went to prison and my mom followed him not too long after," Lena said as she kept her face clear of any emotions.

"I mean that must have been hard for you to really never have a family unit growing up," Sara said as she waited for Lena's reaction.

"I guess but that is just how life is sometimes. I don't talk with any of them so there is really no need to get into any of that," Lena said as she tried to keep the anger in her voice in check.

"Alright, I want to ask if the two of you ever really open up with each other about your pasts and your childhood," Sara asked even though she knew what the answer might be.

"I mean we don't go around sharing sob stories with each other, but we know enough," Lena said as she was starting to regret agreeing to do these therapy sessions. This woman sitting across from her didn't know anything about how hard her or Kara's lives were and Lena didn't like that she kept trying to act as if she did.

"Alright well we are almost up with our time for today, but I wanted to give you two some homework to do before our next session. What I want is for both of you to share one memory you have from when you were growing up. It can be something really simple and I don't even need to hear what it was, but it is important that you do this before the next time we talk," Sara said as she waited for both women to nod their heads before she got up and walked out the door. She knew as soon as she left that this was going to be one of her hardest cases yet. She was only with those two women for an hour but could tell that they were both deeply hurt by their pasts and had a lot of baggage that was weighing down their marriage.

000

After Sara had left both Lena and Kara had been pretty quiet. Lena knew that her wife had shut down ever since Sara had brought up Krypton. Lena really didn't know much about Kara's life before she came to Earth, but she knew better than to ask. Lena was pretty sure that Alex didn't know a lot either and that was saying a lot since she tended to know everything about Kara. Lena kept an eye on her wife for the next couple hours wanting to make sure she was okay. Kara mostly kept to herself but after a few hours she came and sat down next to Lena on the couch and both of them watched tv in silence. Lena waited for 30 minutes before she reached her hand over to her wife's and held it tightly. She heard Kara sniffle quietly and knew that she was crying. Not wanting to make Kara feel uncomfortable she just continued to hold her hand and rub her circles on her back until the tears stopped. Neither of them needed to say a word to each other to know what was going on and Lena was grateful that they could still do that even with how disconnected they had been the past few months. They sat like that for a while longer until Kara spoke up.

"Hey, do you want to get out of here and get some air," Kara said as Lena nodded her head and they two stood up and got their shoes on before they walked out onto the street. It was nearing sunset now and the two walked in mostly silence around the park by their house before they stopped and got some ice cream and eventually headed back into their home.

"So, what do you think about Sara?" Kara asked as the two sat down on the couch.

"I think that she is a bit noisy and pushy," Lena replied, and Kara softly laughed.

"I kind of felt that way too. I mean I know she has a job to do but I felt like she just kept pushing us to talk about stuff that we really didn't want to," Kara replied and saw her wife smile back at her.

The two continued to talk about their dislike for Sara for the next hour. For the first time in a long time they were just talking without any disagreement or uncomfortable pauses. Things still weren't great but both of them went to bed feeling closer than they had in months.


	5. Chapter 5

Lena woke up early the next morning to Kara thrashing around on the bed. This was not the first time this same exact scenario had happened, but it had been a while since Lena had seen her wife in this state. She could hear Kara mumbling and tried to wake her up when it was clear she was having a nightmare. Lena shook her a few times before she jolted up in bed out of breath.

"Kara, honey you're okay, it's just a bad dream. Take a deep breath," Lena said as she grabbed her wife's shoulder to try and calm her down. Kara was struggling to take a full breath and looked terrified. She breathed heavily for a few minutes before she finally said something.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up," Kara said.

"You don't need to apologize for that ever Kara. Here let's take some deep breaths together," Lena said noticing Kara was still struggling to catch her breath. They spent the next couple minutes breathing together before Kara was finally able to slow her breathing back down. Lena just sat next to her the whole-time rubbing circles on her back and quietly reassuring her that she was fine.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lena asked even though she knew the answer.

"Not really but I think we should stop seeing Sara," Kara said as Lena realized her wife probably was having nightmares about Krypton after it was brought up in therapy yesterday.

"Well we can talk about that in the morning, but I think we should both try and rest some more," Lena said as she took one look at Kara and knew she wouldn't be falling asleep any time soon. "Grab your pillow and come with me," Lena said as she grabbed a blanket off the bed and her pillow as Kara followed her into the main room. The two of them got set up on the couch and Lena put a movie on for them to watch. The two laid there for a while before Kara started to drift off to sleep again. Lena made sure her wife was sound asleep before she shut off the tv and drifted off to sleep soon after.

0000

Kara woke up a few hours later still on the couch with Lena sleeping next to her. She quietly got up from the couch and started a pot of coffee before she went to the bathroom to take a shower. When she finished up in the bathroom she went out to the kitchen and found Lena sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. Kara poured herself a cup and joined Lena at the table. She really didn't want to talk about what happened last night but also knew that Lena wouldn't let it go. Lena gave her a few minutes to drink her coffee in silence before she started talking.

"So, you don't want to see Sara anymore?" Lena asked as she looked over to her wife.

"I don't know, I just don't think it is going to work," Kara said as she continued to look down.

"Look Kara I know yesterday brought up some stuff for you and I know I wasn't super thrilled to start therapy, but I think it might be good for us to at least try a few more times. We have issues as a couple and we both have things as individuals that we have never really dealt with. So, if you are willing to, I think we should keep going," Lena said as she made eye contact with Kara.

"I know we need help, but I'm scared. There are some things in my past that I am just not ready to deal with quite yet," Kara said softly.

"I know hun, let's talk to Sara at our next session about holding off on certain topics and go from there," Lena said as Kara nodded her head back in agreement. "So, I was thinking since it was Sunday we could see if Maggie and Alex wanted to come over for an early dinner," Lena said.

"Yeah actually that sounds really nice. I can call Alex in a little bit and see if they are free. I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk since it is so nice out today," Kara asked her wife.

"Sure, that would be great. Let me just go get changed and then we can go," Lena said as Kara put the coffee mugs in the dishwasher and called Alex. Lena finished getting ready and the two headed outside and walked towards the park by their home.

"So, Alex and Maggie are free and want to come over for dinner. I told them to come over around 4," Kara said.

"Good, I'm glad. It's been a while since I have seen both of them at the same time. We can just order some take out," Lena said as the two entered the park and started walking around.

"Sounds good," Kara replied. "So, I suppose if we are going to take therapy seriously, we need to do our homework," Kara said as Lena softly laughed.

"I suppose, if we must," Lena replied as a smile appeared on Kara's face.

"Did you know that I used to draw a lot when I was younger," Kara said as Lena shook her head no. "Yeah I don't really do it anymore, but my mom was a really good artist and used to draw a lot as a hobby, so I would join her a lot of the time. I drew a little bit after I got to Earth but I don't know I guess it just always made me feel homesick, so I stopped doing it," Kara said as Lena watched her with all her attention.

"I never knew that," Lena said as she realized this was one of the few times Kara had ever told her anything about her mother. "What was your favorite thing to draw," Lena asked as she saw a small smile appear on Kara's face.

"I loved to draw the sky with all the stars from Krypton. I would go out at night time and look into the sky with my father's telescope and drew whatever I saw that night. The world always felt so small when I was a kid. It's crazy to think sometimes that we were living our lives on the complete opposite ends of the Universe," Kara said as Lena smiled seeing her wife light up talking about this.

"I know what you mean. Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky to find you. I mean I don't know how much I believe in fate but I'm lucky to have ever met you," Lena said as Kara blushed hearing this. Kara grabbed Lena's hand and held it as they continued walking.

"I feel the same exact way about you," Kara replied. "You know I have thought about drawing a lot recently and I don't know, maybe I will give it another shot," Kara said.

"I would love to see it," Lena said smiling at her wife. In this moment everything felt right between the two of them. It was easy to talk, and everything just felt so natural like it had when they first stated dating.

They continued to talk and eventually went and got ice cream at the shop down the street before they headed back to their apartment. They both spent the next 2 hours getting some work done but stayed in the kitchen, so they could talk once in a while as they worked. They had been done working for an hour and were watching tv when there was a knock on the door. Kara got up from the couch and opened it hugging both Alex and Maggie as they walked in. Lena came over and hugged both of them before they all stood around the kitchen table. Alex could tell within a few minutes that something had shifted between her sister and Lena. She noticed that they both looked happier and things seemed less tense between the two of them. She made a note to ask Kara how therapy had gone later when they were alone but figured something must have happened to shift the moods of both women standing in front of her.

000

Dinner went by without a hitch. Lena caught Alex and Maggie up on what had been going on at work and they fell into easy conversation for the rest of the meal. After dinner had ended and everything had been cleaned up Maggie and Lena went down the street to pick up some deserts from their favorite bakery. Alex and Kara had moved over to the couch and were picking a movie to watch.

"So, things seem better?" Alex half stated and half questioned, not sure of the answer.

"Yeah, today was a good day for both of us. I had a nightmare last night about Krypton and Lena was great and helped me through it. When we talked today it felt like it used to. Even when we first started dating, conversation was always so easy for us. We never had awkward moments and pauses and today just brought back those first few months for me," Kara said smiling as she thought back to this morning at the park.

"I'm so happy to hear that Kara. All I have ever wanted is for you to be happy and I know how happy Lena has made you. Do you want to talk about your nightmare at all?" Alex asked feeling concerned for her younger sister.

"It was similar to the nightmares I used to have when I first got here. Ever since our therapy session with Sara I had just been thinking about Krypton a lot and I think that is why I had that nightmare last night. I think that in order to fix this with Lena I am going to have to confront my past and that scares the hell out of me Alex. I mean what if it is all too much and I can't do it," Kara said as her voice began to shake. Alex opened her arms and allowed her sister to fall into her embrace. She ran her fingers through Kara's hair as she spoke to her.

"Kara, it probably will be too much for you, but that is when you are going to lean into your family and friends. It's okay to not be okay Kara. It's okay to ask for help and allow yourself to fall apart," Alex said as she continued to hold her sister.

"I know but it's hard to think about and relive those memories. I'm scared of it, but I am more scared of what will happen to me and Lena if I don't. I can't imagine losing her, so I know what I have to do," Kara said as she looked up at Alex with a determined look in her eyes. They heard the door opening and looked up to see both of their wives walking in laughing.

"Hey, are you two snuggling without us?" Maggie asked as the other girls laughed. Kara and Alex got up and went over to grab some deserts before all four of them went over to the couch and settled in. Maggie wrapped herself around Alex as she kissed her wife on the lips. Lena sat down next to Kara and left her arms slightly open as Kara took her invitation and leaned into her wife's side. Lena kissed the top of her head and smiled at Kara before looking over to the tv as the movie was starting to play.

The movie ended a while later and Maggie and Alex stayed for a few more minutes before they left to go home. Kara and Lena were both tired from not sleeping much the night before and got into bed early. They laid in silence for a bit before Kara heard Lena clear her throat and began to speak.

"When I was 7, my dad took me to a fair. It was one of the only times that he and I spent time together just the two of us, but it was one of my favorite days. We woke up early so we could be at the fair right when it opened, and we stayed until the park closed down for the night. He won me a stuffed elephant at one of those milk carton throwing games and I ate more food than I ever had in a day," Lena said laughing. "Of course, it was nothing even close to as much food as you can eat," Lena continued as her wife started laughing next to her. "I have never been to the fair again after that but for one day I felt like a carefree kid who had a normal life," Lena finished as she felt Kara grab her hand and squeeze it.

"It sounds like a really fun day," Kara said as Lena looked at her.

"It was. After that my dad got distracted by work and we never really had those days anymore," Lena said as Kara's eyes softened.

"Well for what it's worth, I would love to spend the day with you at the fair," Kara said as she brushed away a tear from her wife's eye.

"I love you," Lena whispered as the two laid there holding hands until they both fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

The week that followed had not been going well for Kara or Lena. They both were overwhelmed and stressed at work and as a result they were taking it out on each other. The perfect Sunday from last week had suddenly disappeared and the arguing had returned. By Friday night Kara and Lena were so sick of arguing that they just went to bed early knowing they had another appointment with Sara in the morning.

Sara showed up the next morning and the three women took their positions on the couch and chair. Sara could sense the tension between the two women sitting across from her and noted that they both looked exhausted. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the next hour.

"Alright so to start, how did the week go since we last met," Sara asked both women sitting across from her.

"Sunday was actually pretty great, we spent the day together and both shared a little bit about our pasts," Kara said smiling slightly.

"Alright good to hear and how about the rest of the week?" Sara asked as both women's expressions changed.

"Umm, the rest of the week has not been going well at all. We have been fighting for most it," Lena said as she looked down.

"Has there been anything in particular you have been fighting about?" Sara asked.

"Just everything, work has been a nightmare for both of us and we have both been bringing our stress from work home with us," Kara said looking at Sara.

"Alright well I know that both of you work many hours and have a lot of responsibilities, but we need to come up with a way or system to help out when work gets overwhelming," Sara said as both women nodded. "We will come back to that in a minute but going back to Sunday, what made that day so great for both of you?" Sara asked.

"For me it was how easy it was for the two of us to talk. It reminded me of when we first started dating and could just talk for hours about anything," Lena said as she smiled thinking about those days.

"It was the same for me. That morning I had a pretty bad nightmare about Krypton and Lena was really good about helping me through it. I sort of freaked out and said I didn't want to do these sessions anymore because I was afraid to relive me past. I know now that I need to work through some of that, but I just wanted to see if we could hold off on discussing certain topics until I'm ready to get into it," Kara said as Lena reached over and squeezed her hand.

"Of course, Kara we never have to discuss a topic that either of you are uncomfortable with, but did you want to talk about your nightmare at all?" Sara asked as Kara nodded her head.

"I didn't want to when it happened, but I think I do now," Kara said as Sara nodded her head to encourage her to talk. She felt Lena's hand tighten around her own as she cleared her throat. "It was one of the nightmares that I used to get pretty frequently when I first got to Earth. In the nightmare I am basically reliving my final moments on Krypton. I see my mom and dad and then I get into the pod that I arrived here in. The pod takes off and then soon after I see the explosion," Kara said as she stopped for a moment.

"Take your time Kara, there is no rush," Lena said as she moved closer to Kara.

"This is harder than I thought it was going to be," Kara said as she looked at her wife.

"I know sweetie, but I am here for you and if it gets too hard you can stop," Lena said as she kissed her wife's head. Kara looked at her for another moment before she started talking again.

"So, I see Krypton explode and then my pod gets knocked off course from the explosion. That is when I landed into the phantom zone and I eventually fell asleep and stayed asleep for most of the years I was there but in my nightmare I stay awake. I am just trapped in complete darkness with no noises and all I can think about is my parents and everyone else there that just died. The nightmare feels too real because a lot of it is what really happened to me. I can still remember the sensory deprivation and how quiet it was. I remember thinking that I would be stuck there forever by myself." Kara said as tears were coming down her face. Lena was now rubbing her hand on Kara's back and had tears of her own coming down her face. "I don't know how I am supposed to deal with having to relive that night after night in my dreams. I am afraid to sleep sometimes knowing that I might dream about it," Kara said as she tried to control her breathing.

"Kara you lived through a very traumatic situation and unfortunately I can't promise you that those nightmares will ever completely go away but one thing I know is that talking about these things is the first step to easing the intensity and frequency of how often it happens. I don't have a magical solution for you but how about we make a plan. Do you usually feel different during the day before you get these nightmares?" Sara asked as Kara had gotten her breathing under control and could talk again.

"Usually it is on days when I am really stressed, I just feel almost a sense of dread," Kara replied as Sara nodded her head.

"Alright well what if on the days you are feeling like that, you let Lena know at some point before you go to bed. If Lena isn't there or available, you could talk to Alex or Maggie. Sometimes you need to voice what you are feeling even though it can be scary. Does that sound like something you could try?" Sara asked as Kara looked over to her.

"I guess I could try that. I just don't want to be a burden to Lena or anyone else," Kara said as Lena grabbed her chin and tilted her head towards her.

"Kara, you are never a burden to me or anyone else. If you aren't feeling right and are scared, you need to let me know. I always want to know these things and it will never be an inconvenient time. That is what marriage is all about Kara, it is about being there for each other for better or for worse," Lena said, and she made sure Kara nodded her head before she turned back to Sara.

"Alright so now that we have that figured out, I think we should go back to work and not taking your anger towards work issues out on each other. I think that one thing you two could try is if something happens at work that makes you stressed or angry make sure you let the other one know as soon as you see each other. I also think a good solution would be to dedicate the first 20 minutes when you two get home each night to talking about things that stressed you out at work or anything like that. That way you can voice your feelings and do it in a manner where the other person isn't taking the brunt of your frustration. How does this plan sound?" Sara said as she looked at both women across from her.

"I think that is something we can try. I think we both just need to try and leave work issues at work more and not bring them home with us as well," Lena said as Kara shook her head in agreement.

"Alright well I think that sounds like a good idea as well. Why don't you try that out for this week and then when we meet again you can let me know how it went. I also want both of you to know that if something I suggest isn't working, you can let me know. Every couple is different and what works for some won't work for others and if you two ever have any suggestions don't be afraid to bring them up or try them out," Sara said.

"Alright that sounds good," Kara said as she looked over to Lena who nodded in agreement as well.

"Alright so now that we have settled that I wanted to talk about one more thing before we wrap things up for this week. I gave you two homework to do last week and it seems like it was pretty successful, so I am happy about that. For this week I want to get a little deeper though. I want the two of you to each write down some things that we will talk about next week. I want to get into fears next week and I just want both of you to write a list of what some of your fears are. You don't have to share the lists with each other during the week, but we will talk about it at our next session. Does that sound good to both of you?" Sara asked as both women shook their heads yes and then after talking for a few more minutes she wrapped up the session and headed home for the day.

000

A few days had passed since their last meeting with Sara and things had been going better for Kara and Lena. They were still stressed out at work but after talking to each other about how work was going they managed to keep the arguing down to a minimum. Kara had also been feeling pretty good and hadn't had another nightmare. It was Thursday when that finally changed. Kara woke up feeling pretty good but gradually started to feel worse throughout the day. Her whole body started to feel heavy and she felt anxious for no reason. She was preparing to just suck it up and get through the rest of the day when she remembered what Sara had said. She promised that she would reach out to someone if she was feeling this way and wanted to just let it go but knew if she ever truly wanted to get better, she needed to make a change. She knew Lena had a light day planned at L-Corp, so she decided to go over to her office for lunch. She had finished up most of her stories this week for work and didn't have much left to work on, so she decided to take the rest of the afternoon off and would work later from home. She stopped at her favorite diner on the way over and grabbed food for her and Lena before she made her way to L-Corp. Kara got off the elevator on Lena's floor and smiled at her assistant who told Kara she could go right in. Kara knocked before she opened the door and saw Lena's face light up when she walked in.

"Hey, were we supposed to meet?" Lena said as she was happy to see her wife but didn't remember planning to have lunch with her today.

"No, I just thought I would take the rest of the day off work and come have lunch with you," Kara said as she went over and kissed her wife on the lips before they both sat down on the couch.

"Well that sounds perfect to me," Lena said as she smiled at Kara and helped her unpack the food. The two chatted about how work had been going and the whole time Lena could tell something was off with Kara, but she wanted to wait for her wife to come to her before she said anything.

"So, I didn't just come here to eat lunch with you," Kara said as she looked down towards her lap. "I don't know I guess I have just been feeling off and instead of just shoving the feeling down and ignoring it I decided to come talk to you," Kara said as she looked back up at her wife.

"I'm glad you did. What has been going on?" Lena asked suddenly feeling worried for her wife.

"I don't exactly know. I felt fine this morning and work had been relatively slow and stress free, but I just started feeling really anxious," Kara said now fidgeting her fingers as Lena reached over and grabbed her hand.

"Alright I tell you what, I am pretty much done here so why don't I take the afternoon off as well and we can just do whatever you want for the rest of the day. In fact, maybe we should both take tomorrow off as well and have a few days off to just do whatever," Lena said as she saw her wife smile at her.

"Are you sure? I mean I can finish up my stories from home, but don't you need to come into work tomorrow," Kara asked not wanting to make Lena miss work.

"I work enough hours as it is and that is the beauty of owning your own company. I deserve a few days off and so do you," Lena said as she took her phone out and texted her assistant to clear her schedule for the rest of today and tomorrow.

"How would you feel about going to Midvale?" Kara asked as Lena smiled hearing this.

"I would love to. That sounds like a great idea. Plus, our next meeting with Sara isn't till Tuesday night so we can drive up and stay all weekend," Lena said as she saw a big smile appear on her wife's face.

"I know Maggie isn't working tomorrow or this weekend and I can basically guilt J'onn into giving Alex the weekend off so maybe all four of us can go and have a mini vacation," Kara said as Lena shook her head in agreement.

"Yeah that would actually be really fun. It's only a few hours' drive so we could leave later when Alex and Maggie get off work," Lena said suddenly feeling excited about this weekend.

"Why don't you text Maggie and Alex and then I will just call Eliza to make sure it is alright it we come," Kara said as she pulled out her phone and dialed Eliza's number while Lena sent a text to the other two girls.

"Hey Kara, what's going on sweetie?" Eliza said as Kara usually didn't call her during the day when she was working.

"Hey Eliza, I just wanted to see what you and Jeremiah were doing this weekend," Kara said as she looked over to Lena who got responses from Alex and Maggie that they could come this weekend.

"We don't have any plans, why?" Eliza asked her youngest daughter.

"Well Lena and I wanted to get out of the city and we were thinking we would drive to Midvale tonight and spend a few days at the house with you two. Also, Alex and Maggie wanted to come as well as long as you didn't already have plans," Kara said.

"Of course, you four can come! It should be a fun weekend. I will set up the beds for you girls and let Jeremiah know when he gets home from work. Let me know when you are planning on heading out later," Eliza said as she finished talking to Kara and then ended the call.

"Alright so Eliza said that they are free and looking forward to seeing all of us," Kara said as she smiled at Lena.

"Good, I'm glad. Alex and Maggie said they will both be done around 4 and can be ready to leave by 5. So why don't we head home and pack and then we can just hang out until then," Lena said as her and Kara got up and headed back to their house.

000

The four girls left the city around 5pm and made it to Midvale around ten that night. They pulled up to their parent's house and were greeted by Eliza and Jeremiah who had been sitting on the porch enjoying the nice weather. They hugged the girls and helped them bring their luggage into the house. After the girls got settled into their rooms, they all sat down with Eliza and Jeremiah in the kitchen who poured them glasses of wine. They sat and talked for a while before Alex and Maggie headed up to bed and Lena went to go take a shower. Kara was still feeling a little anxious and didn't want to go up to bed yet, so she decided to go outside to the back deck and look at the stars. She had been out there for a minute when she heard the door open and saw Eliza and Jeremiah coming out. They sat down next to her and all three were quiet for a few minutes before Kara spoke up.

"I have always loved how peaceful and quiet it is here at night. There are always noises in the city and sometimes it is nice to just get a few minutes of calm," Kara said as she looked up to the sky.

"I remember I used to find you out here sleeping some nights when you first arrived," Jeremiah said as she looked over at his youngest daughter who looked troubled. Eliza seemed to notice this as well and decided to speak up.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Eliza asked as Kara looked over.

"How do you know that something is wrong?" Kara asked as Eliza smiled.

"It's my mom intuition. I always know when something is wrong with you or Alex," Eliza said as Jeremiah laughed softly.

"That's true," Kara said. "I don't really know. The past couple months haven't been the easiest to be honest. Lena and I haven't been doing that well and just recently we started seeing a therapist so that is helping a little bit. I have also been having some of the nightmares I used to get when I first got here. Part of the reason for the sudden trip out here was because I was feeling really anxious all day and I was worried I was going to have a nightmare again. Lena suggested we take a long weekend to just relax and the first place I thought of was here," Kara said as she finally looked over to Eliza and Jeremiah.

"I'm sorry to hear that honey. I'm glad that you and Lena are getting help. Are you still worried about getting a nightmare tonight?" Jeremiah asked his daughter.

"I think so. I have been feeling less anxious ever since we got here but I'm almost scared to get into bed and shut my eyes. I know I sound like a little kid, sorry," Kara said as Eliza shook her head and moved closer to her daughter.

"Kara of course you don't. I can't imagine what it must be like to relive what you do in your nightmares, but I would be scared as hell if I were in your shoes," Eliza said as she kissed her daughters head.

"If you want, I will stay up with you out here until you fall asleep," Jeremiah said as he looked over at his wife and daughter.

"No, I appreciate it, but Lena will be done with her shower soon and will probably wonder where I am," Kara said.

"Alright well if anything happens tonight don't hesitate to wake us up if you need anything," Eliza said as she got up and hugged her daughter before they all walked back into the house. Kara went up to the room her and Lena were sharing and came into the room just as Lena was coming out of the bathroom.

"Hey, I'm finished in there if you need to use it," Lena said as she motioned to the bathroom.

"Yeah I am just going to brush my teeth," Kara said as Lena nodded her head. Kara came out a few minutes later and got into bed where Lena was reading a book. She was reaching over to turn off the light and put her book away when Kara spoke up.

"You don't have to stop reading. I don't think I will fall asleep right away, so you can keep the light on," Kara said as Lena kept the light on but put her book down. She figured Kara was still worried about going to sleep and was going to make sure her wife was okay before she went to bed herself.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lena asked as she turned towards her wife.

"I don't know. I thought that coming to Midvale would fix everything and make me feel better, but I am still feeling anxious," Kara said as she looked over towards Lena.

"Well look why don't we watch a movie on my laptop until you start to feel more tired. I will stay up with you until you fall asleep," Lena said as she got up to get her computer. She got back in the bed and got her laptop set up before she laid back down. Within a minute Kara had cuddled up to her side.

"Thank you," Kara said as she looked up at her wife.

"Your welcome. I meant what I said Kara, I am not going anywhere," Lena replied as she kissed her wife's head. The two made it almost all the way through the movie when Lena noticed that Kara had finally drifted off to sleep. She closed her laptop and put it on the floor before she cuddled back into her wife's side and soon after fell asleep as well.


	7. Chapter 7

The beach in Midvale was always one of Kara's favorite places to go growing up. She would sit there for hours and listen to the waves crashing into the shore. It gave her a sense of peace and allowed her to focus in on one noise instead of hearing every noise at once. She was sitting out there now absorbing some sun when the noise from the ocean stopped. She looked out and could still see the waves crashing but couldn't hear a single noise. Her breath hitched for a moment and she turned to get up and go back to the house when her vision went dark. She began to panic and felt like she was in the phantom zone again. Her chest began to tighten, and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She tried to call out for help, but the words weren't coming out of her mouth. Suddenly she heard a high-pitched scream and looked around to see where it was coming from. She closed her eyes and opened them again to find she was suddenly in bed with Lena. Lena was sitting next to her with a panicked look in her eye. Kara tried to focus on her but suddenly heard too many noises that were all amplified. She saw the door open and saw Alex and Maggie run in followed soon by Eliza and Jeremiah. They all looked concerned and Kara didn't know what was happening. She couldn't deal with all the noises and voices coming in at once, so she covered her ears with her hands and put her head in between her legs.

"Lena what happened?" Alex asked as she came running into the room after hearing her sister scream. She saw Lena trying to comfort her, but it clearly wasn't helping.

"I don't know. I think she had a nightmare. I heard her mumbling before she screamed," Lena replied close to tears at this point.

"Shit, I think she is having sensory overload," Alex said lowering her voice as her parents nodded in agreement having entered the room.

"I'll go get the headphones," Jeremiah said as he ran out of the room to grab them. They hadn't had to use them since Kara was younger, but Jeremiah always kept a pair just in case. As soon as Jeremiah had left, Alex went over to the bed to try and help Lena with Kara.

"Maggie can you go grab a new set of clothes for Kara?" Eliza asked noticing Kara's shirt was soaked with sweat.

"Of course," Maggie replied as she went over to Kara's suitcase wanting to help the younger girl in any way that she could.

Eliza went to the bathroom to grab a towel as Jeremiah came back in the room with the headphones. His heart broke at the sight of his youngest daughter curled up as Lena and Alex tried everything they could think of to comfort her. He handed the headphones to Alex who tried to put them on Kara but was struggling as Kara clearly didn't know what was happening and was trying to get away from Alex. Jeremiah saw the struggle and came over and with the help of Lena managed to hold Kara in place while Alex placed the headphones on her. Kara immediately relaxed a bit as the noises were blocked out but still was having a hard time controlling her breathing. She laid her head into Lena's lab and grabbed onto Alex's arm.

Maggie gave the clothes to Eliza and then went downstairs to make coffee for everyone. She was joined a minute later by Jeremiah who got mugs out.

"I figured everyone was going to need some caffeine to stay up and I didn't want Kara to feel too crowded up in her room," Maggie said as Jeremiah smiled sadly at her.

"Yeah I figured that Eliza, Alex, and Lena could handle if for now," Jeremiah replied.

"I have never seen Kara this bad before. I mean I have seen her after a nightmare, but this seemed different. It breaks my heart," Maggie said thinking of Kara upstairs.

"I know. She used to get like this when she first got here but it's been a long time since I have seen her like this. I just wish that I could take all her pain away," Jeremiah said as he grabbed the coffee grounds out of the fridge.

"I know what you mean. I remember the first time I was with Alex when Kara had a nightmare and all I wanted to do was make her feel better. She's a lot stronger than me. I mean I don't know how she can still smile after everything she has been through," Maggie said as Jeremiah smiled slightly.

"She is the strongest person I know," Jeremiah replied as the two continued to get the coffee ready in silence.

Upstairs Kara had finally begun to calm down a bit. Eliza had taken off her daughter's shirt and wiped her down as Lena got the new shirt and put it on her wife. Alex was breathing slowly and having Kara do the same. She had just gotten her breathing under control when she began to panic again.

"I can't hear anything," Kara said as Alex slowly took off the headphones ready to put them back on if she was still hearing too much. Kara slightly flinched but seemed somewhat calm so Alex softly spoke.

"Hey, do you still want the headphones?" Alex asked as Kara shook her head no.

"Who was screaming?" Kara asked as all three women looked at her confused.

"Babe, that was you," Lena said as Kara suddenly realized where she was and that she must have had another nightmare. She saw Eliza and figured she woke everyone up.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you all up," Kara said suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"Honey, you never need to apologize for that," Eliza said as she kissed her daughter's head.

"I know but this weekend was supposed to be a fun getaway and now all of you are up in the middle of the night dealing with me," Kara said as she couldn't look any of the women in the eye.

"Kara you would do the same for any of us. This is what family does for each other," Alex said as she was still holding Kara's hand.

"They are right Kara. You can't apologize about things that you can't control. None of us mind taking care of you and helping you out," Lena said as she ran her fingers through Kara's hair.

"Tell you what why don't we all go downstairs and put a movie on and snuggle up on the couches. I can get Jeremiah to make some of his world-famous popcorn," Eliza said as she was glad to see a small smile on her daughter's face. She knew Kara wouldn't want to talk about what happened tonight and everyone was wide awake now, so she figured it would be good to make sure Kara felt loved and supported.

"Sure, if you all don't mind that would be great. I want to take a shower first though, I feel gross." Kara said as Eliza and Alex got up and headed downstairs to get the movie set up. Lena stood up and hesitated not sure if she should wait for Kara downstairs or stay with her.

"Lena would you mind sitting in the bathroom while I take a shower. I know that sounds childish, but I don't want to be alone right now," Kara said finally looking into her wife's eyes.

"Of course I will," Lena said as she grabbed Kara's hand and helped her off the bed. Kara headed into the bathroom as Lena went and grabbed a new towel and washcloth for Kara out of the cabinet and headed in to sit while her wife took her shower.

In the meantime, Eliza and Alex had joined Maggie and Jeremiah downstairs. Jeremiah went into the main room to help Eliza set up the tv and couches for the movie as Alex joined Maggie in the kitchen. Alex entered and smiled at her wife.

"Hey babe, how is Kara?" Maggie asked as she took in her wife who looked warn down.

"Not good but hopefully she will be. She finally calmed down a bit, but I just hate seeing her like that," Alex said as Maggie wrapped her up in a hug and held her for a few minutes. Maggie knew how close the sisters were and when one was hurting the other hurt almost as bad. They broke apart and Alex made a mug of hot chocolate for Kara who was just coming down the stairs with Lena. They came into view of the kitchen and Alex watched as Lena whispered into Kara's ear. Kara shook her head and made her way into the main room as Lena went into the kitchen.

"Hey you okay?" Alex asked as she grabbed Lena's shoulder.

"No, I was terrified when I woke up and saw Kara like that. I just wish she didn't have to go through that," Lena said as both Maggie and Alex shook their heads that they understood. They grabbed the mugs and popcorn and headed into the main room where Jeremiah and Eliza were cuddled together on a chair.

"Where's Kara?" Alex asked as she looked around for her sister.

"She just wanted a minute outside," Eliza said as she pointed out to the back deck. Lena turned to go get her when Alex put a hand on her arm.

"Hey, do you mind if I go?" Alex asked.

"Of course not, go ahead," Lena said as she went to sit on the couch. Alex opened the door and found Kara looking off into the distance.

"I remember the first night I found you out here doing the same exact thing you are doing now," Alex said as she smiled at her younger sister. "It was a few months after you got here and I woke up one night and saw you weren't in bed. I figured you were downstairs watching tv, but I couldn't find you there either and then I looked out and saw you standing and staring up at the stars." Alex said as Kara looked towards her.

"Yeah I remember that night. I was afraid to sleep, and I wanted some fresh air, so I came outside and was immediately calmed by how peaceful the sky looked at night. That was also the first night I ever really thought of you as my sister," Kara said as Alex hugged her side and kissed her head.

"Are you ready to go back in?" Alex asked as Kara nodded her head and the two headed back in. Alex went over and cuddled up next to Maggie who was on one of the couches as Kara joined Lena on the other couch. She went into Lena's open arms and put her head on Lena's shoulder. Jeremiah grabbed the remote and started playing the movie as everyone settled in. Halfway through the movie Kara looked over to see Eliza and Jeremiah both asleep as well as Maggie. She saw Alex was still awake and knew she wouldn't go to bed until Kara managed to fall back asleep. It was a habit that Alex had as a kid on nights like these and continued to this day. Kara tightened her grip on Lena who was also still awake and snuggled closer to her.

"Are you okay?" Lena whispered into Kara's ear.

"No, but I will be. I have everything I have ever wanted right here in this room," Kara said as she kissed her wife's lips before they both returned to watching the film.


	8. Chapter 8

Kara opened her eyes and immediately was confused. The previous night suddenly came back to her and she remembered that everyone had laid down on the couch to watch a movie. She looked around the room and saw that everyone was still asleep. She glanced over at the clock on the wall and saw it was just after 7 in the morning. Not wanting to wake anyone up she quietly and carefully slipped out of Lena's arms and went outside. She was going to sit on the deck and enjoy the sun, but she didn't really feel like sitting still so she took a walk down the beach enjoying the quiet. She made her way back to the house after a few minutes and sat down at the table on the deck. She was there for a few minutes when she heard the door open. She was expecting Alex or one of her parents, knowing they all woke up early but was surprised when she saw her favorite detective coming out onto the deck with two cups of coffee.

"Don't act so disappointed to see me," Maggie joked as she saw the expression on Kara's face.

"No, it's not that, I am just surprised to see you up this early. Usually on your days off you sleep in. Alex practically has to drag you out of bed," Kara said as Maggie laughed and handed Kara a cup of coffee.

"I'm just as shocked as you are kid," Maggie said as Kara smiled. The two sat in silence for a few minutes just enjoying the view and taking occasional sips of coffee before Kara finally spoke up.

"So, I guess last night was pretty bad huh," Kara said as she saw the expression change on Maggie's face.

"Kara, I have known you for a long time and I have never seen you like that. It scared me to be honest," Maggie said as she looked into the younger girls' eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake all of you up," Kara said as she looked down.

"Hey," Maggie said to get Kara's attention as the girl looked back up at her. "You don't ever apologize for that. Kara you have no control over this and after everything you have been through it is a miracle that you can still walk around with a smile on your face," Maggie said making sure Kara was really listening to her.

"Sometimes I feel completely lost and broken Maggie. I mean there are days where I don't want to get out of bed, but I do. I have to put on a fake smile those days and act like everything is okay even when it isn't," Kara said as she saw the hurt in Maggie's eyes.

"No one expects you to be happy everyday Kara. I know I haven't known you for your whole life but the one thing I admire about you is how you keep going and trying even when things seem hopeless. I have gotten a lot of strength from you and I know Alex and Lena have as well," Maggie said as she reached over and grabbed Kara's hand. The two sat in silence holding hands as Maggie thought back to when she first met Kara.

 **FLASHBACK**

Maggie had been dating Alex for a few months when she finally met Kara. She had heard many stories about the girl and knew how close Alex was to her younger sister. She knew that Kara was adopted by Alex's parent but didn't know Kara was Supergirl at this point. Maggie was never really close to her siblings growing up, but she did feel a little intimidated meeting Kara for the first time. Alex had wanted Maggie to meet Kara, but things kept getting in the way of their first meeting. Finally, they were all free on Saturday and decided to have a sister's night plus Maggie. Kara invited the two girls over to her apartment and told them to come over around 7 that night. Maggie went over to Alex's apartment before, so they could go over together. They were driving over, and Alex could tell that Maggie was a nervous wreck. Alex had never seen Maggie like this before. Usually the detective was sure of herself and calm.

"Hey babe are you okay?" Alex asked taking her eyes off the road for a second to look at her girlfriend.

"Yeah, why?" Maggie asked realizing she had spaced out for a few minutes.

"You just seem a little distracted and fidgety," Alex said as she looked back to the road.

"I guess I am just a little nervous to meet your sister. I mean I know how important she is to you and I don't want to mess things up," Maggie said as Alex smiled thinking how lucky she was to have met Maggie.

"Aww you don't have to be nervous. Kara is easy to talk to and she is going to love you. She would be crazy not to," Alex said as Maggie grabbed one of her hands and held it smiling at her. They pulled up to Kara's apartment a few minutes later and walked up. Turns out Alex had been right about not needing to be nervous. Kara had hugged Maggie as soon as she walked into the apartment and the two fell into easy conversation for the rest of the night. After that night the three of them hung out more frequently and Maggie started to consider her and Kara friends. Maggie and Kara still hadn't hung out just the two of them but that changed a few months later. Alex went out of town on business with the DEO leaving Maggie alone for a few nights. She was on her last night alone without Alex when she got a phone call.

"Hey Danvers, how is work going?" Maggie asked as she laid on her bed.

"I've been busy but it's going alright. I miss you though," Alex said as Maggie smiled hearing this.

"I know, I am going to request that the DEO never send you away for a week ever again," Maggie said laughing.

"I will be back tomorrow morning though, so you only have to wait a few more hours. Just think you will go to bed and I should be back by the time you wake up," Alex said as she wished she could be in Maggie's arms at that moment. "Hey, you haven't heard from Kara today have you?" Alex said changing the topic.

"No, why?" Maggie asked suddenly a little confused. "Did something happen?" Maggie asked suddenly feeling concern for the younger girl building.

"I don't think so. I know she blew her powers out yesterday fighting an alien," Alex said. Maggie had found out a few months after her and Alex had been dating that Kara was none other than Supergirl. She had her suspicions but waited until Alex wanted to tell her. "I just haven't heard from her today and I tried to text her, but I guess I just get a little paranoid when she doesn't have her powers," Alex said as she thought about the last time her sister didn't have her powers and broke her arm.

"Tell you what, why don't I go over to Kara's apartment and check on her. She probably has just been sleeping a lot since she doesn't have her powers, but I will let you know when I talk to her," Maggie said as she talked to Alex for another minute before she hung up the phone and went out to her car to make the short drive over to Kara's apartment. She got there in a few minutes and walked up the stairs. Her breathing picked up when she walked into the hallway to find Kara's door slightly opened. She was glad she thought to bring her gun with her and pulled it out as she slowly opened Kara's door.

"Kara are you here?" Maggie asked as her voice shook slightly. She didn't hear a response and continued her way into the apartment. She made it all the way through and didn't see anything out of place or any sign that something had happened to Kara. She was starting to get nervous since it was late, and Kara usually would be snuggled up in front of the tv at this point. She was getting ready to call Alex back when her phone rang. She saw Kara's name come up and quickly answered it.

"Hey Kara, I was just looking for you at your apartment," Maggie said as she heard a lot of noise in the background but the voice that responded wasn't Kara's.

"Maggie this is Winn. I'm here with Kara at the bar but I think you need to come," Winn said as Maggie shut Kara's door and headed down the stairs. She liked Winn and was starting to get closer to him but was suddenly feeling concerned as to why Kara hadn't called herself.

"Alright Winn I will be there in a few minutes," Maggie said as she hung up the phone and hurried up her pace down the street. Luckily Kara lived right down the street from the bar and Maggie was there within 3 minutes. She entered the bar and saw it was pretty packed. She made her way through and finally saw Winn sitting with Kara in a booth. Maggie immediately saw that Kara wasn't okay and ran the rest of the way over. Winn saw her and immediately looked relieved.

"Hey, what's going on?" Maggie said more to Winn than to Kara who looked like she had one too many drinks.

"Umm Kara asked if I wanted to come to the bar and I showed up and she was already a few drinks in. I didn't realize she had blown her powers, so the drinks hit her a lot faster and she can't handle as much alcohol. I tried to get her to stop but she ordered another one when I went to the bathroom. I didn't know what to do and I knew Alex was out of town, so I figured I would call you.

"Alright thanks Winn for looking out for her and for calling me," Maggie said before she turned her attention to the girl in front of her. "Kara, hey let's get out of here," Maggie said as Kara opened her eyes and Maggie could immediately tell they were unfocused. Winn came back to the table with a glass of water and Maggie helped Kara take a few sips before she put the water back down.

"Alright Winn can you help me get her back to my car. I'm going to take her over to my apartment so I can take care of her tonight," Maggie said as Winn nodded his head and the two helped Kara up and eventually got out to Maggie's car down the street. Winn got Kara in the passenger seat and closed the door as Maggie came over.

"What happened tonight?" Maggie asked Winn. She had only seen Kara have a drink or two every time they had gone out together and she had certainly never seen Kara drunk.

"I don't know. She didn't talk much tonight just kept drinking. When I realize she didn't have her powers I tried to get her to stop but she didn't tell me what was going on," Winn said with a look of regret on his face.

"Hey, you did the right thing by calling me. Do you want a ride home?" Maggie asked as Winn shook his head.

"Nah I am just going to walk, but thanks for the offer," Winn said as she waved bye to Maggie and headed the other direction to his apartment.

Maggie got back into the car and wasn't surprised to see that Kara was sleeping in the passenger seat. She drove to her apartment and once she parked she stepped out of her car and pulled out her phone dialing her girlfriend's number.

"Hey, was she at her apartment?" Alex asked with a little worry in her voice when she saw Maggie's name pop up on her screen.

"Not exactly, I found her, but she was wasted at the bar with Winn," Maggie said as she looked over to her car and saw that Kara was still sleeping.

"What?" Alex said with disbelief. She had only seen Kara drink one or two drinks at most but never when she had lost her powers. She knew that the alcohol would affect Kara more and was suddenly very worried. "Is she okay?" Alex asked.

"She's passed out in my car. Winn helped me get her into the car and I brought her over to my apartment. According to Winn she was upset about something but wouldn't talk about it and kept ordering drinks so he called me to help out," Maggie said.

"Shit, alright well I can see if I can get out of here early," Alex said.

"No, Alex I can take care of Kara. She will be okay," Maggie said trying to calm Alex down.

"Alright as long as you are sure, sorry you have to deal with this," Alex said.

"It's not a big deal at all, I care about Kara and I will do anything I can to help her," Maggie said as she looked at the younger girl in the car who had been through too much. "Look I'm going to hang up so I can get her up to bed, but I will text you in a little bit," Maggie said as she hung up the phone. She went over to the side of her car and opened the door. She unbuckled Kara's seatbelt and shook the girl slightly. Kara opened her eyes and looked at Maggie.

"Hey Kara, I know you are tired, but I need you to wake up for a few minutes, so I can help you get upstairs," Maggie said.

"Alright," Kara said as she stumbled out of the car. Maggie was there to grab her arm and steady her before they made their way to the elevator. They got up to Maggie's floor and made it down the hallway to Maggie's door. Maggie steadied Kara against the door as she reached into her coat pocket for her keys. She found them and opened the door before she reached back over to help Kara again. They made it through the door and Maggie realized what was about to happen as Kara had her hand over her mouth. Maggie ran over and grabbed the trashcan making it back just in time before Kara threw up. Maggie held the can with one hand and Kara's hair back with the other. Kara was leaned up against the kitchen counter and threw up another time before she was able to stand all the way back up again.

"You good?" Maggie asked as Kara shook her head.

"Yeah, sorry," Kara replied as Maggie waved her hand.

"Don't worry about it kid," Maggie said as she set the bucket down on the floor. She would worry about that later but for now she wanted to get Kara to bed. She took her over to the kitchen sink, so she could rinse her mouth and then gave her a glass of water to take sips from. The two managed to make it into the bedroom and Maggie sat Kara down on the bed as she went to grab a pair of pajamas for the girl. She helped Kara get changed and then laid her down on her side. She pulled the sheets up and stayed with her for a minute before she went out into the main room again. She cleaned up the trashcan and then grabbed a bottle of water and a new trash bag. She went back into her bedroom and saw Kara was still awake as she set the trashcan by her side and the water bottle on the counter.

"Hey Kara, what happened tonight?" Maggie asked as sat down next to Kara.

"I just needed to escape," Kara replied.

"Escape from what?" Maggie asked.

"Everything, sometimes it just all feels like too much. I didn't have my powers and knew that I couldn't do anything as Supergirl tonight anyways, so I just decided to have a few drinks. I didn't know that they would affect me as much as they did but I almost couldn't stop myself. For a few hours I just felt like I didn't have any responsibilities and I felt like I was normal," Kara said as she started to cry a little. Maggie pulled Kara closer to her side and was surprised how comfortable she felt caring for the younger girl.

"Kara if anyone deserves a break it is definitely you. You do so much for this city and it's okay to want an escape. I'm not sure that going to a bar is the best way to do it but I have been known to do that once or twice as well, so I guess I'm not really one to talk," Maggie said as she looked down at the younger girl who was shaking slightly as she continued to cry. Maggie just held Kara and eventually the girl passed out again. For the first time Maggie understood why Alex was so protective over Kara. The young girl lying next to her had been through more than anyone should ever have to live through. Maggie made sure she was asleep before she changed into pajamas and fell asleep a few minutes later snuggled up to the younger girl. Alex got home a few hours later and her heart melted at the sight in the bedroom. She saw her sister snuggled up to her girlfriends' side and knew that Maggie was the right person for not just her but for Kara as well.

 **PRESENT DAY**

Lena woke up and saw Alex still sleeping on the couch but everyone else was nowhere to be found. She walked over to the other room and found Jeremiah and Eliza sitting out the couch drinking coffee.

"Hey honey, how did you sleep?" Eliza asked as she saw Lena walk into the room.

"Good, thanks for asking," Lena said. She wasn't used to having a mother but always loved being around Eliza. "Where are Kara and Maggie at?" Lena said looking around.

"They are outside on the deck," Jeremiah replied as he took another sip of his coffee.

"We saw them sitting out there and looked so peaceful, so we decided to give them some time," Eliza responded as Lena sat down on the couch feeling a little uncomfortable. She loved Kara and Alex's parents, but she was never close with her family. She forgot what it was like to have parents who were always there and was starting to get used to that feeling with the two people sitting by her.

"How are you doing after last night?" Jeremiah asked.

"I'm alright, I hate to see Kara like that. I always feel very helpless and just wish I could take away her pain," Lena said.

"I know what you mean. It's not easy to see her like this but she is strong, and she has all of us," Eliza responded. They stopped talking when they heard Alex get up and a minute later Maggie walked in followed behind by Kara. Maggie walked over to Alex and gave her a kiss on the lips before the two went to refill their cups of coffee. Lena followed Kara who was heading to their bedroom and closed the door quietly.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Lena asked.

"Tired," Kara replied, and Lena was glad that at least she was telling the truth.

"Well if you want, we can take a nap in a little bit after breakfast," Lena said as she saw a small smile appear on Kara's face before it went away quickly. "What are you thinking?" Lena asked even though she had a pretty good idea.

"I want to sleep," Kara responded and stopped talking. Lena sense her hesitation and finished her thought for her, "but your scared to close your eyes after what happened last night," Lena said as Kara nodded her head. "Well let's take it one step at a time. We will go out and eat breakfast and then we can go from there," Lena said as Kara shook her head again in agreement and the two made their way out to kitchen to help make breakfast.

Kara made it to about 11am till she was practically falling asleep outside. After breakfast everyone had gone their own ways to relax. Maggie and Alex had gone down to the beach and Jeremiah and Eliza had taken a walk into town to pick up groceries for dinner that night. Lena and Kara had each been sitting outside reading when Lena looked over and noticed how heavy Kara's eyes were getting.

"Hey babe, let's go lie down for a bit," Lena said as she got up and went over towards her wife. She could sense the hesitation in Kara but reached for her hand. Kara got up and walked with Lena towards their bedroom. They both laid down and Kara immediately snuggled up to Lena's side feeling safer next to her. Lena ran her fingers through Kara's hair and heard the girl's breathing start to even out. Within a few minutes Kara was sound asleep. Lena laid there watching her wife and made herself a promise that she would do whatever it took to make sure Kara was okay.


	9. Chapter 9

Lena woke up from their nap 2 hours later and wasn't surprised to see Kara still asleep next to her. She knew her wife hadn't been sleeping much the past couple days and it was all catching up to her. She didn't want to get out of bed and risk waking Kara up or leaving her by herself, so she reached over to the counter and grabbed her phone, so she could go through some work emails. She had been going through them for about 30 minutes when she heard movement next to her. She set her phone back down on the counter and ran her fingers though Kara's hair.

"Hey sleepyhead," Lena said as Kara opened her eyes and smiled up at her.

"Hey, how long have I been out for?" Kara asked her voice still thick with sleep.

"Close to 3 hours. Did you sleep well?" Lena asked.

"Yeah I actually feel pretty refreshed. I think I am going to go take a shower and then see what everyone else is up to," Kara said as Lena nodded her head and got out of bed making her way downstairs to the kitchen where everyone else was sitting.

"Hey, did you two get some sleep?" Alex asked as she noticed Lena coming down the stairs.

"We did, Kara is just taking a shower and then she will be down," Lena said as Alex nodded her head. "What have you all been up to?" Lena asked as she pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.

"Just been chatting about work and stuff. We were talking about starting dinner soon and then we though if you two were up for it we could go walk around the downtown area and beach later and maybe watch the sunset," Eliza said as she smiled at Lena.

"That sounds amazing," Lena replied.

"Good, alright I am going to go fire up the grill so we can get dinner started," Jeremiah said as he made his way outside. Alex and Maggie went over to the counter where Eliza was pulling out stuff to make a salad and started cutting up vegetables. Lena helped Eliza pull the dishes out and worked on setting the table. Kara came down the stairs a minute later and smiled at Lena before making her way over to the kitchen.

"Hey honey, did you sleep well?" Eliza asked as Kara nodded her head and smiled back.

"Do you need help with anything?" Kara asked as she looked around at everyone working.

"I think we are all set in here but go see if Jeremiah needs any help outside," Eliza replied, and Kara nodded her head and turned to go outside. She opened the door and made her way over to the grill.

"Hey need any help?" Kara asked as Jeremiah looked up and smiled.

"No, but I could use some company," Jeremiah said as he pulled out a chair and motioned for Kara to sit down. "How is work going?" Jeremiah asked as he sat next to Kara.

"It's been really busy, but I am actually really liking all the stories I have been working on," Kara said.

"That's good I am glad they are going well just make sure you don't wear yourself down too much. I know how hard you work, all of you," Jeremiah said referring to Alex, Maggie, and Lena.

"Where do you think we learned it from," Kara said as Jeremiah chuckled and got up to check on the food that was grilling.

"Guilty," he said as Kara smiled. "Alright I think this is done," he continued as he got the food onto a plate and made his way inside following behind Kara.

The family all sat down and enjoyed a quiet meal. Talking every once in a while, but mostly just enjoying each other's company. They cleaned up after dinner and then made their way outside and headed into town. They went into a couple of their favorite stores and browsed around before heading back to the house walking along the beach. They sat down at a spot close to the house and waited for the sun to set. Kara looked out toward the water and remembered why she had wanted to come out here. She always felt so at peace when she was in Midvale and tonight was no different. She reached over and grabbed Lena's hand next to her and looked over at her wife who smiled back at her. Things hadn't been great between them for a while but tonight reminded her why she fell in love with Lena in the first place. She leaned her head against Lena's shoulder and felt a kiss on the top of her head. They sat like that till the sun went down and then the whole family made their way back inside preparing for a game night.

That night was the most fun Kara had in a long time and she was exhausted by the time she got into bed that night. She fell asleep quickly next to Lena. However, she woke up a few hours later and looked over at the clock seeing it was 3 am. She looked next to her and saw Lena sleeping soundly and quietly made her way out of bed and downstairs. She opened up the door and went out to the patio. She sat down on one of the lounge chairs and looked up towards the sky. It was a clear night, so she could see all the stars out. It had been close to 30 minutes when she heard the door open. She didn't have to turn around and look to know it was Alex coming outside. She came over and sat in the chair next to her.

"What are you doing up?" Kara asked as Alex smiled at her.

"I could ask you the same question. I came downstairs to get some water and saw you were out here. Now your turn," Alex said as Kara looked over.

"I don't know, I just couldn't sleep, and Lena has been staying up with me a lot, so I came out here. I didn't want to wake her up," Kara replied as Alex nodded her head. "She's been so good to me and understanding even with everything that is going on between us," Kara said.

"Well she cares about you. Things might have been bad between you two lately but I never for a second doubted that you two still loved each other," Alex said as Kara nodded her head.

"I do," Kara said quietly as she looked back up towards the sky. "I really wish my mom could have met her," Kara said.

"She would have loved her," Alex replied as she looked up towards the sky as well.

"She would have loved you too," Kara said as she looked over towards Alex while tears clouded her vision. She felt Alex's hand grab hers and the two laid there in silence.

They made it close to an hour before Kara moved to get up. Knowing Alex wouldn't fall asleep until she did, she decided to go back in and try to get a few more hours of rest. Alex followed behind her and made her way into hers and Maggie's room where she got into bed and immediately passed out. Kara quietly got into bed and felt Lena shift next to her.

"Hey are you okay?" Lena asked as she sat up.

"Yeah go back to bed," Kara replied as she got under the covers and felt Lena get closer to her. She heard Lena's breathing even out and followed her a few minutes later into a deep sleep.

00000

The girls had all returned back home to National City yesterday and this morning Kara and Lena had their weekly therapy session with Sara. They all made their way over to the couch as Sara began to talk.

"Alright so I told you two last week to write down a list of your fears and that we would talk about those today. I think that this is important to discuss because a lot of times our fears can tell us a lot about what is going on inside of us. They tend to hold us back and sharing them allows you to come face to face with them and dig into the bigger issues. Would either one of you like to start. You can just share one of them and then we will discuss it for a bit before we move onto the next person," Sara said as she looked to the two women. Lena sat up straighter and cleared her throat.

"Sure, I guess I can. The first one I wrote was disappointing others. I think the family I grew up in had a lot to do with that one," Lena said as she looked towards Sara.

"I take it that you felt like you weren't good enough growing up?" Sara asked as a small smile appeared on Lena's face.

"You could say that. No matter what I did it was never good enough. I still sometimes worry that even with everything I have done to turn Lex's company around that it still isn't enough," Lena said as Sara nodded her head.

"You're still hoping from validation from your mother?" Sara asked as Lena nodded her head.

"I mean I feel like every kid wants their parents to be proud of the work they are doing. My mom has never voiced her approval of what I have done with the company and that hurts," Lena said as she sat back into the couch a little bit.

"Of course, it does. We all want to be accepted and to feel like what we are doing matters, so I can see why that would be disappointing. Kara would you like to share one of your fears?" Sara said as she turned her attention over to the blonde sitting across from her.

"Sure, I guess. Umm my first one I wrote about was being abandoned. I worry that people will leave me, and I will be alone again," Kara said as she looked over at Sara.

"Do you worry about Lena leaving you?" Sara asked as Kara suddenly looked down at her feet.

"Yes," Kara mumbled, and Sara barely heard what she had said but knew Lena did by her reaction. Lena immediately grabbed Kara's hand and looked into her eyes.

"Kara, I know things haven't exactly been easy for us for a long time, but you have to know that I will never give up on us. I love you and I am going to stick by your side no matter what," Lena said as Kara looked into her eyes and nodded her head.

"I know it's just when you lose people it makes it really hard to not believe that will keep happening to you in life. I just worry sometimes that I will be too much for you and you will decide that you made a mistake in choosing me," Kara said as Lena's heart broke a little at hearing this come out of her wife's mouth.

"Kara you have to believe me when I say that choosing you was the best decision I have ever made in my life. I was lost before I found you but being with you has made me the happiest I have been in my life," Lena replied.

"I'm glad you feel that way because I consider myself to be the luckiest girl for finding you," Kara said as Lena squeezed her hand. Sara gave them a moment before she spoke up again.

"Alright Lena did you have another one you wanted to talk about?" Sara asked as Lena looked away from her wife and back at Sara. She took a deep breath before she spoke again.

"I would say my biggest fear is losing Kara. I don't know what I would do if something were to happen to her. I mean her job comes with that risk every day and it scares the hell out of me," Lena said as Kara squeezed her hand.

"Lena, I know it is scary sometimes, but I am always fine," Kara said nonchalantly. Lena didn't know why but she suddenly felt angry and couldn't stop the words that came out of her mouth next.

"Kara you don't think before you run head first into danger. I mean you rush into thing where you don't know what the outcome will be and that is terrifying to me. I mean do you even think about me if something were to happen to you. What about Alex, Maggie, Eliza, or Jeremiah. You don't think sometimes and that pisses me off," Lena said and by the look on Kara's face she knew she wasn't expecting that to come out of Lena's mouth. Lena herself was surprised when she said it, but she felt like this is something she had been bottling up for a long time.

"Lena of course I think about you and my family. I think about you all the time, but I was given these powers and it would be selfish of me not to use them for good. I can't just sit by and watch people suffer when there is something I could be doing," Kara said as her voice got louder.

"I know, and it is good that you are helping people out, but Kara why is it that you value everyone else's lives over your own. I mean what is it going to take for you to start valuing your own life," Lena said as the room went dead quiet. Kara went to speak but suddenly was at a loss for words. Lena almost looked like she regretted what she said but Sara knew that it probably needed to be said out loud. "Look Kara I'm not trying to make you feel bad, but you would sacrifice your life to save a stranger and that is what scares me. I want you to know that your life matters just as much as everyone else's," Lena said as she turned towards Kara.

"My mom sent me here to protect Clark, that was my mission and I failed that. I got to Earth, and he was already out there protecting everyone else. So, I decided that I would protect the people of Earth. Look Lena ever since I got sent away from Krypton, I knew I wasn't mean to have a normal life. I wasn't supposed to grow up and get married and have a family. I was supposed to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. But then I met you and I thought for the first time since I got to Earth that maybe I could have that normal life. I thought that maybe I could be happy and not have to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. Every day I have this internal struggle of wanting to just live my life but also being able to hear and know that someone out there is in danger. Sometimes it eats away at me, so I guess that I thought it would just be easier to keep saving people and put my life on the backburner," Kara said.

"Kara, I wish you would talk to me about this stuff. I don't want you to have to handle all of this alone. One thing I do know is that your mom wanted you to be happy above anything else. She wanted you to live and to live a full life. You can't do that Kara if you are always giving up everything to save everyone else. I'm not saying that you can't be Supergirl, but you just need to find a better balance. I think there is a way where you can save lives but not lose yourself in the process," Lena said as Kara stayed quiet.

"I think that is a very valid point Lena. I actually think it is something you both could work on it finding balance with your work lives and personal lives. It doesn't mean that you have to give up your dreams or work less. It just means that you need to find a way to have both those worlds coexist," Sarah said as both women across from her had turned their focus to her.

"I want to be able to have both those things in my life. I guess I just don't know how to do it without running myself into the ground," Kara said as Sara nodded her head.

"I know, it's hard but this weekend was a good step right. I mean you got away from the craziness of the city and just spent some time with family. It can be something as simple as just taking an afternoon off work to spend time with each other or do something for yourself," Sara added. "Look I understand that you two don't have typical jobs, but it all comes down to if you are willing to try and make some changes in order to save this marriage and yourselves," Sara said as she looked at both women across from her.

"Of course, I love Kara more than anything and I will do whatever it takes to fix this," Lena said as she looked over towards her wife.

"I feel the same exact way. We're willing to put in the work," Kara replied as she looked at Lena before looking back over at Sara.

"Alright well we have 30 minutes left so let's come up with some ways to help you out," Sara said as both women nodded their heads.

00000

Sara had left, and Kara and Lena spent the day catching up on chores that needed to be done around the apartment. They both were going back to work the next day and wanted everything to be done so they could spend more time after work with each other.

"Alright so what if we did date nights on Thursdays" Kara suggested as her and Lena had been sitting on the couch for a little bit. After talking with Sara earlier in the day they decided they should bring back date nights. They hadn't done them in a long time but knew it would be a good chance to catch up and just enjoy a night without work talk.

"Sure, that works for me. Fridays tend to be my slower day at work anyways," Lena replied as she set the book down that she had been reading.

"Alright, I am going to talk to J'onn and let him know that barring a huge emergency I don't get called for any Supergirl related things those nights," Kara responded.

"Sounds good. We should take turns picking what we are going to do for the date. You can pick this week and then I will pick next week," Lena replied as Kara nodded her head.

"Deal, I'm actually really excited about this. It reminds me of when we first started seeing each other," Kara said as she smiled over at her wife.

"I know, look we both have made our mistakes in this marriage, but this is our chance to make things right and I just want you to know I am fully committed to this," Lena said as she scooted closer to Kara and opened up her arms. Kara leaned into her side and laid her head down.

"I am too, I love you Lena," Kara responded looking up at her wife.

"I love you too," Lena said as she kissed Kara softly on the lips before leaning back. The two laid there for a while before eventually getting up to go to bed. They both fell asleep that night feeling the most hopeful they had in a long time.


End file.
